Technology question regarding Android app permissions.

[Susan Calvin]

I'm getting a scale, and I wouldn't mind the kind that sends data to your phone via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, all the ones I found so far require that you enable location on your phone, or log into Google on your phone, or both. I see no reason you should have to do this, so I am not getting that kind of scale unless I can find one that doesn't require unnecessary permissions. Does anybody happen to know of a Bluetooth scale with an app that does not require unnecessary permissions?

[RainCaster]

1. I have a Wyze scale, it doesn't need my location and it's $20

What more can you ask for?

[Susan Calvin]

3. Thank you.

That sounds like exactly what I want.

[Susan Calvin]

5. Unfortunately it appears to require location now.

They all do. It seems to be something that Google is enforcing, unless you use an alternate Bluetooth method called Companion device pairing, which none of the scale makers seem to be aware of.

[RainCaster]

6. I have android 10 and I can disable those settings...

On a per app basis. The scale knows where I am when I step on it.

[Susan Calvin]

7. Oh, I can disable it for the scales app.

But then it won't even try to connect via Bluetooth.

[RainCaster]

8. I don't have the problem with my phone

I just tested this.
1. disabled Location perms for Wyze app
2. restarted phone
3. started Wyze app, and selected scale
4. connected and downloaded latest scale readings just like always. Connection was sub-second, no discernible lag.

[Susan Calvin]

9. Interesting

I'll give that a try with the scale I've currently got that I was going to send back until I found out they all work that way.

They don't have to do it that way I found out. It's apparently perfectly easy to allow Bluetooth connections without requiring that location be turned on.

https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/companion-device-pairing

[RainCaster]

10. Google's android team had this vision...

It was once thought that bluetooth was very power hungry. The offered solution was to only turn it on if in the physical presence of a known device. That doesn't work very well at all. Too often you need to connect to a device that may not be at a constant physical location- like your ear pods, speaker, laptop or car. So now the idea of turning down (or off) BT by location no longer makes any sense.

Android geek words, sorry.

Bottom line- if you have one and you can make it work, might as well keep it. As cheap as they are, the shipping becomes significant.

[Susan Calvin]

11. Android geek here too.

Or at least computer science and privacy geek. I'm going to try your work around, and if that fails just use it as a regular scale. What are you going to do when computers become so much like people? Object-oriented programming, I'm telling ya.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

2. Don't get the smart scale if...

...you have the web enabled fridge. Dave Barry said that the scale might tell the fridge to lock you out.

[Susan Calvin]

4. .